Wandering Well · Country

Russia.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

Kirov, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Kirov

Russia

A large city on the Vyatka River in European Russia, Kirov has a walkable centre with a café and restaurant scene alongside universities, theaters, museums,…

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Pushkin, Russia
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Pushkin

Russia

Founded in 1710 as an imperial residence called Tsarskoye Selo, Pushkin is a town south of St.

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Anapa, Russia
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Anapa

Russia

This Black Sea resort town in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, Anapa has functioned as a health and climate spa destination and ranks among the country's largest chi…

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Yelabuga, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Yelabuga

Russia

A riverside town in Tatarstan, Russia, on the right bank of the Kama River, with cafés and restaurants concentrated in a compact centre.

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Sergiyev Posad, Russia
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Sergiyev Posad

Russia

Home to the Trinity Lavra of St.

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Sortavala, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Sortavala

Russia

Lakeside town on the northern shore of Lake Ladoga in Russia's Republic of Karelia, Sortavala sits close to the Finnish border and serves as a base for trips…

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Izborsk, Russia
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Izborsk

Russia

One of the most ancient fortresses in western Russia stands in this tiny village in Pskov Oblast, close to the Estonian border.

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Rostov Veliky, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Rostov Veliky

Russia

One of the oldest towns in Russia, first recorded in 862 and known as Rostov the Great, this Golden Ring destination on the shores of Lake Nero holds a walka…

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Sestroretsk, Russia
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Sestroretsk

Russia

This coastal resort town on the Gulf of Finland, Sestroretsk sits where the Sestra River and Sestroretsk Lake meet the Baltic shore, a short train ride north…

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Mozhaysk, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Mozhaysk

Russia

A town in Moscow Oblast on the historic road west toward Smolensk, Mozhaysk sits on the bank of the Moskva River close to the Mozhaysk Reservoir, with scenic…

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Yoshkar-Ola, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Yoshkar-Ola

Russia

Capital of the Mari El republic in Russia's Volga region, Yoshkar-Ola sits along the river and has built a reputation for a dense café and restaurant scene i…

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Torzhok, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Torzhok

Russia

Torzhok, a town in Russia's Tver Oblast on the Tvertsa River, has been known for its goldwork embroidery folk craft for centuries and retains a compact centr…

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Tarusa, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Tarusa

Russia

This tiny Russian town on the Oka River where it meets the Tarusa River, with a centre of largely single-storey 19th-century buildings so well preserved that…

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Kislovodsk, Russia
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Kislovodsk

Russia

This spa city in Russia's North Caucasus, Kislovodsk is the country's second-largest resort centre after Sochi and the largest within the Caucasian Mineral W…

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Rybinsk, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Rybinsk

Russia

Volga River city in Yaroslavl Oblast with 19th-century merchant architecture lining its embankment, Rybinsk was chartered in 1777 and grew into one of Russia…

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Bodaybo, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Bodaybo

Russia

Remote Russian town in Irkutsk Oblast set where two rivers meet, with forested mountain ridges rising directly behind a compact mix of Soviet-era apartment b…

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Yessentuki, Russia
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Yessentuki

Russia

Spa city at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains in Stavropol Krai, Yessentuki is renowned for its mineral springs and therapeutic baths within the Caucasian M…

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Valday, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Valday

Russia

Tiny Russian town on the southwestern shore of Lake Valdayskoye, in the Valdai Hills between Moscow and St.

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Sviyazhsk, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Sviyazhsk

Russia

Founded in 1551 as a fortress assembled in just four weeks from prefabricated parts floated down the Volga, Sviyazhsk is a pocket-sized historic settlement i…

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Yeysk, Russia
Silver

Yeysk

Russia

A walkable port and resort city on the Taganrog Gulf of the Sea of Azov, Yeysk sits on a spit of land in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, with a centre full of cafés…

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Magas, Russia
Silver

Magas

Russia

Founded in 1995 and elevated to capital status in 2002, Magas is the smallest capital of any federal subject in Russia — a distinction that makes this modest…

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Noginsk, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Noginsk

Russia

This city on the Klyazma River in Moscow Oblast, Noginsk — known as Bogorodsk until 1930 — sits on the northwestern edge of the Meshchera Lowlands, roughly a…

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Kimry, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Kimry

Russia

Volga River town in Tver Oblast with a walkable centre, Kimry has roots in the shoe-making trade that made it a notable centre of the Russian footwear indust…

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Murom, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Murom

Russia

One of Russia's oldest cities, first mentioned in 862, Murom sits on the west bank of the Oka River in Vladimir Oblast and served as the centre of a medieval…

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Nevinnomyssk, Russia
Gold

Nevinnomyssk

Russia

A mid-sized Russian city in Stavropol Krai where a broad, lamp-lined pedestrian boulevard with a central fountain stretches through tree-filled parkland towa…

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Zelenogradsk, Russia
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Zelenogradsk

Russia

A Baltic seaside resort town in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast, Zelenogradsk sits on the Sambian coastline near the Curonian Spit and has held federal resort st…

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Pyatigorsk, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Pyatigorsk

Russia

Spa city in Russia's Stavropol Krai with a long history as a balneological and mud-cure resort, Pyatigorsk sits on the Podkumok River at the edge of the Cauc…

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Arkhyz, Russia
Gold
Mountain villages

Arkhyz

Russia

Mountain-resort village in the Republic of Karachay–Cherkessia, Russia, Arkhyz sits at high elevation in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, surrounde…

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Kamyshin, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Kamyshin

Russia

A mid-sized Russian city on the Volga Reservoir, Kamyshin rewards visitors with an ornate yellow-and-red 19th-century civic building fronting a broad paved s…

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Ryl'sk, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Ryl'sk

Russia

A little Russian town on the Seym River in Kursk Oblast, Rylsk has a compact centre with cafés and restaurants and sits on both banks of the river, offering…

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Glazov, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Glazov

Russia

A mid-sized Russian city on the Cheptsa River, Glazov pairs a tree-lined central square and an ornate red-brick Orthodox church with Soviet-era residential b…

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Uryupinsk, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Uryupinsk

Russia

Uryupinsk, a town in Volgograd Oblast on the Khopyor River, is known in Russian press and literature as the "Capital of the Russian Provinces" and has a folk…

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Toropets, Russia
Gold

Toropets

Russia

One of the oldest towns in Tver Oblast, Toropets has been recorded since 1074 and is listed among Russia's Historic Settlements.

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Dimitrovgrad, Russia
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Dimitrovgrad

Russia

Sitting on the shore of the Cheremshan Bay of the Kuibyshev Reservoir, where the Bolshoy Cheremshan River meets the water, Dimitrovgrad is a city in Ulyanovs…

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Zvenigorod, Russia
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Zvenigorod

Russia

This compact Russian town west of Moscow where a pedestrianised main street lined with colourful two- and three-storey buildings, outdoor café seating, and c…

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Gorodets, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Gorodets

Russia

One of the oldest towns in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Gorodets sits on the left bank of the Volga River with views across the water to the town of Zavolzhye.

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Sarapul, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Sarapul

Russia

This river-port city on the Kama River in Russia's Udmurt Republic, Sarapul has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants and sits directly on the water,…

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Krymsk, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Krymsk

Russia

A mid-sized Russian town in Krasnodar Krai, spread across flat agricultural plains with a little river threading through its low-rise grid, offering a compac…

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Dmitrov, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Dmitrov

Russia

This town north of Moscow on the Yakhroma River and the Moscow Canal, Dmitrov is known for its kremlin and has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants.

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Istra, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Istra

Russia

Town on the Istra River in Moscow Oblast, with a walkable centre, riverside setting, and scenic surrounds on the southern slopes of the Klin-Dmitrov Ridge.

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Mineralnye Vody, Russia
Silver

Mineralnye Vody

Russia

A gateway city in Russia's Stavropol Krai, Mineralnye Vody — whose name translates literally as "mineral waters" — sits within the Caucasian Mineral Waters r…

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Ostashkov, Russia
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Ostashkov

Russia

A walkable town on a peninsula jutting into Lake Seliger in Tver Oblast, Russia, with a centre that offers cafés and restaurants within easy reach of the water.

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Naro-Fominsk, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Naro-Fominsk

Russia

This town on the Nara River southwest of Moscow, Naro-Fominsk has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants and river views in the surrounds.

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Arzamas, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Arzamas

Russia

A city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast with a walkable centre dense with historic churches, Arzamas sits on the Tyosha River roughly a hundred kilometres south of…

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Gelendzhik, Russia
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Gelendzhik

Russia

Black Sea resort town on the Krasnodar coast of southern Russia, Gelendzhik sits on its own bay with a walkable waterfront, a solid food-and-drink scene, and…

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Uglich, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Uglich

Russia

A historic town on the Volga River and a stop on Russia's Golden Ring tourist circuit, Uglich has a compact centre with a concentration of old churches and a…

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Kolpino, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Kolpino

Russia

City on the Izhora River southeast of St.

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Yelets, Russia
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Yelets

Russia

A Russian provincial city on the Bystraya Sosna River, Yelets rewards visitors with a walkable centre of red-brick imperial-era architecture, crowned by a st…

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Aleksandrov, Russia
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Aleksandrov

Russia

This town on Russia's Golden Ring tourist circuit, Aleksandrov sits northeast of Moscow with a compact centre and a history as the former Alexandrovskaya Slo…

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Balashikha, Russia
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Balashikha

Russia

A large city on the Pekhorka River just east of Moscow, Balashikha is the most populous city in Moscow Oblast and a former centre of the textile industry, wi…

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